Summary
Steampunk, an essentially literary movement
Steampunk is the name of a predominantly literary movement, having nothing in common with the punk movement, whose plots take place in a 19th century dominated by the first industrial revolution of coal and steam.
It is an uchrony (a uchrony means a rewriting of history) which refers to the massive use of steam engines at the start of the industrial revolution and then in the Victorian era.
Steam Punk
The expression steampunk, which literally means steam punk, sometimes translated as steam future, is a term invented to describe a genre of literature born at the end of the 20th century (even if we can find origins in the stories of Jules Verne), where the action takes place in the atmosphere of society, in the midst of the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
The term was coined at the end of the 1980s in reference to cyberpunk (a term that appeared in 1984).
A trend that appeared in literature
Steampunk appears in fantastic literary works, fantasy, anticipation and certain subgenres of science fiction.
It becomes a literary genre, the title of which was coined in allusion to cyberpunk by the authors K. W. Jeter, Tim Powers and James Blaylock as a joke.
Steampunk is developed by cinema, music, drawing and the “Do It Yourself” movement.
Enthusiasts bring their character to life through handcrafted creations (costume, accessories, decoration).
Characters, stories and costumes
They develop the story and costume of their character, unlike disguise and cosplay which take on an existing character.
The community of enthusiasts is represented by several associations. Their members called themselves “vaporists”, or “Steamers”.
Events titled aperisteams have existed for several years and allow vaporists to find themselves in a friendly atmosphere.
Some links that talk about Steampunk:
A video that illustrates this universe well: the Anno 1900 convention (Aftermovie video from the 2017 edition):